Individual Learning Paths of Employees in the Context of Social Networks

Abstract

This chapter investigates the question of how social networks in organisations contribute to employee learning. Based on the learning-network theory, which views organisations as networks of actors creating various processes, we distinguish between two specific actor networks especially relevant to individual learning. First is the work network, in which employees carry out and improve their daily work, which may lead to learning; and second is the learning network, where employees participate in especially designed programmes in order to learn. Their learning-relevant experiences acting in both networks can lead employees to creating their own learning paths, that is, to making sense out of the many experiences with a view to bringing coherence and meaning to them. Individual learning paths are both employee-driven and affected by their work experiences and participation in learning programmes, which are informed to a considerable extent by the particular work and learning networks in which employees participate.